Missing Your Presence
by Araea Swiftwind
Summary: You're gone, and I miss you. I hate that I'm so weak. I hate that I love you.
1. Damn you, Riku!

**Story Title:** Missing Your Presence

**Chapter Title:** Damn You, Riku!

**Author:** Araea Swiftwind

**Parings:** SorRiku; TidusxSora; RikuxCloud; LeonxSephiroth

**Warnings:** This story will contain mature content, including sexual activities, foul language, and mature themes not suitable for people under the age of 15 without parental consent.

**Disclaimer:** I make no money from the making of this fanfic. I am only writing this because my hands started typing and this popped out, and I felt it was evil to delete it. I just want to share this tale with others, so in suing me, you are destroying people's happiness, so please don't do that.

**Word Count:** 2683

**A/N:** So, this is an older work of mine. I decided that I would update the chapter and repost it, because honestly, I haven't written anything in ages, and it was about time I updated. And, ironically enough, this is the only thing that I felt like working on.

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_**W**__eightlessness_. That is the only thing he felt as he was swimming through the crystalline green water. His eyes closed for a moment, and he reveled in the feeling. When he opened them, the salt stung for a moment, but then his brilliant blue eyes adjusted. Before him stretched a beautiful coral reef, teeming with sea life. There were hundreds, maybe thousands, of brightly colored fish, all of different species. Some were big, and some were very small. As the brown-haired boy swam closer, a clown fish darted in front of him and sped past, on its way to God-only-knows. Sora smiled, and continued on his way. The day before when he and Tidus had been play fighting, Tidus had lost his new class ring to the ocean. So today, Sora was trying to find it. After all, it was sorta Sora's fault he had lost it.

_**Flashback**_

"Hey Sora, I bet I can beat you at play-fighting!" Tidus called jovially, carrying around a long wooden staff.

Sora was up to the challenge and called back, "You're on, Tidus!"

The two boys raced to the island with the paopu tree and prepared to square off. Sora hadn't done this in a while, ever since Riku had left the island, the world, to find his one true love. Without Riku, play fighting just wasn't the same. Lying on the ground a few inches away was an old, battered wooden sword. The one that Sora used to use when fighting against Riku. Sora wasn't really keen on using that particular sword, but as he didn't have another one, that one would have to do. Tidus was moving from one foot to another, impatience plastered across his face.

"Aren't you gonna pick up your sword and fight me Sora? Or do my mad skills scare you?"

That was the perfect thing to say to get Sora geared up for a match. "I'm gonna beat the pants off of you, Ti!"

With that, the two boys started fighting. Sora got in a couple of hits to Tidus' midsection, and Tidus managed to whack Sora on the head a couple of times. In their version of play fighting, no spot on the body was off limits, except the groin. Selphie had a tendency to take cheap shots if she were losing, so they made that a rule a _long_ time ago. Then, just when Tidus thought he was going to win, Sora got in a good shot and hit Tidus on the right wrist. The blow knocked off Tidus' new ring, and it flew unceremoniously into the green ocean below them.

Tidus' face grew bright red and he stared at the water in shock. He couldn't believe that his beloved class ring fell into the ocean. It was probably lost now. It cost his mom a lot of money to buy that ring, and it was a birthday present to boot. Tidus then turned to Sora, staff up, and yelled at him.

"SORA! This is all your fault. You took a cheap shot so that you could win. Since you made it go in to the ocean, you can get it out of the ocean. Tomorrow, first thing, you better go get my ring or else I'm gonna get Wakka and Selphie to help me wallop you. I hate you right now Sora, you big jerk!"

_**End Flashback**_

Sora was getting closer and closer to the reef. So far, he hadn't seen the ring. It was shiny, silver and black, and had a huge sapphire in the middle. It was a really ostentatious ring, but it wasn't really Sora's business. All that mattered was that he found the stupid thing and got it back to Tidus. Tidus had told his mother last night about Sora chucking it into the ocean. She had called the brunette's mom, and now they were all mad at him. Even if he hadn't wanted to go in and get the ring because Tidus had told him to, now his and Tidus' mother were making him get it too. After he found the ring, Sora was gonna whoop Tidus so hard his brains fell out his ears. Stupid blondes.

Near the base of the reef, Sora's eye caught something shiny. It didn't look like a fish, but one could never know underwater. Sora kicked his feet hard and moved as quickly as possible toward the shiny object. Right before he managed to grab the object, a blue octopus moved its body in front of it and inked up the area so that Sora was forced to move away and close his eyes or risk blindness. He propelled himself backwards with his feet, using his hands to clear the water in front of himself of the ink. When it was safe for him to look again, he noticed that the shimmery object was gone. The octopus must have taken it, thinking it was a fish. Or maybe it really was a fish.

Sora heaved a sigh as best he could underwater and made his way to the surface for some much needed air. He might be able to stay underwater for a long time, but even he needed oxygen. Tidus was on the play island, fighting with Selphie and Wakka. Sora waved, but the three of them were so engrossed in their match that they didn't even see him. Sora shook his head softly, and took in a deep breath of air. The sun above was shining brightly on the clear blue-green water, and it made Sora squint as he looked out over the vastness of it all. Realizing that he had been at the surface for too long, Sora dove back down to find Tidus' stupid ring.

Sora spent a few precious seconds growing accustomed to the salt content of the water before he began moving around, looking for the shiny object. He turned a little to the Northwest and began swimming. He hoped that that stupid octopus hadn't gone far with the ring. He didn't think that he would have enough energy to keep swimming for much longer. He had already been at it for over an hour. Even in-shape boys had a limit to the amount of physical endurance they had.

About thirty meters from the beginning of the reef was a small rock outcropping the perfect size for a blue-ring octopus, exactly like the one who stole the ring. Sora dove for it, trying very hard not to spook any animals that were residing within the cave. A yellow tentacle with bright blue rings was hanging out of the opening, so Sora could tell that something was there. He just hoped that it was the right octopus.

Once right outside the cave, Sora took a quick peek inside. There, sure enough, was the ornery octopus that stole Tidus' ring. And there, on one of the octopus' tentacles, was the gaudy ring. Sora slowly inched his way closer to the opening of the cave. When he was within reaching distance, he tentatively reached out his arm and grabbed for the ring. The octopus started waving its tentacles menacingly, but it didn't really phase Sora. He propelled himself forwards and deftly gripped the ring, turning on the spot and swimming away from the cave as quickly as possible. The octopus followed for a short time, but Sora was moving far too quickly for the small animal to catch up to him.

Sora sped upwards and broke the surface of the clear green ocean like a playful dolphin, sending millions of tiny jeweled beads of water arcing into the air only to have them crash back down a few seconds later. At the sound, Tidus looked over, now finished with his match against their friends. Seeing Sora look so happy made Tidus dance in place. He had found the ring! Tidus was no longer mad at his brunette friend. He dropped his staff on the ground and ran towards the ladder at the back of the play island.

Splashing his way to the ladder, Sora handed Tidus his big, ugly ring. Sora was so done with Tidus right now; all he really wanted to do was deliver his item and go home so that he wouldn't have to see the blonde boy for a day or two. Sora was happy that he found the ring, but mostly because it meant that he could stop swimming around looking for something smaller than a quarter. The hunt for the stupid item was irritating, and it was the brown haired boy's opinion that if he never had to hunt in the ocean again, it would be too soon.

Sora glared at Tidus as the boy inspected his property, making sure that there wasn't anything strange attached to the silver, or any new blemishes from being in the sandy salt water. Determining that the ring was fine, the blonde boy then turned to Sora.

"Took you long enough to find it, Sora. Maybe next time you won't throw my stuff in the ocean, huh?" Tidus chuckled and went to pat Sora on the back, a large smile on the athlete's face.

The brunette turned up his glare, stepped back and flipped Tidus the bird. "Fuck you, Tidus. I didn't _throw_ the damn thing in the ocean. _You_ challenged to _me_ to a play-fight. I _happened_ to get you good, causing your ring to fall off. It's not _my_ fault that you were standing so damn close to the edge of the island. It's not _my_ fault that you were wearing that ugly ring during a match. I was nice enough to go hunting for that stupid ring for _hours_. I'm fucking exhausted, Tidus, so if you don't mind, I'm leaving."

With that, Sora stomped away. Tidus couldn't really understand how Sora could be so upset. After all, it was the brunette's fault that Tidus lost his ring, no matter what he said.

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_**S**__ora_ was sitting up in his bedroom on his small, twin-sized bed. He was staring absently at the pictures on his wall, thinking of what might have been. He was sure that if the silver-haired boy were still around, today and yesterday wouldn't have happened. Riku wouldn't have let Tidus talk to Sora that way. He would have stood up for him, maybe even made Tidus find his own damn ring. Riku was in each and every one of the pictures, always standing next to Sora, one arm usually around the shorter boy's shoulders. The brunette could remember the day he drew all of the pictures, remember how happy he and Riku were. How in love he thought they were. That was before he realized how unhappy Riku really was, before he knew that Riku felt like he was missing a piece of himself.

Ever since Sora could remember, he had been madly in love with Riku. Riku was his best friend. Riku understood him. Riku shared his interests. Riku liked him back, at least, that's what Sora chose to believe. And now, Riku was gone, off to find the man of his dreams. What was Sora supposed to do? He had no one now. There really was no reason for him to keep going. Riku wasn't going to suddenly come back to him and ask for forgiveness, and Sora didn't really want him to. That part of his life was over, and he was never going to go back. Either he lived with it, or he didn't.

Sora chose to live with it as best as he knew how. He would strive to be a better person, the kind of person who didn't rely on other people for their sense of well being. Sora was going to take down all of those pictures of Riku, stop thinking about Riku, and move on. And Sora was going to find someone on this tiny little island that would love him better than Riku ever could.

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_**T**__idus_ was still on the play island, thinking about Sora. He had climbed into the paopu tree and sat there like Sora and Riku used to. He remembered all the fun times that the three of them would have. But then, at the end of each and every day, it was Riku Sora went home with. Tidus hated to admit it, but he was jealous. He wanted Sora to be his best friend like that. He wanted Sora to look at him with something other than anger. Tidus knew that his behavior over his stupid class ring didn't help anything. The blonde kicked himself over his stupidity. It would probably take him weeks to repair his relationship with Sora now.

_Sora_. There was something about the bubbly brunette that was infectious. All you had to do was look at him, and your heart melted just a little, and the longer you looked, the more you became putty in the boy's hands. Tidus first noticed this trait after Kairi arrived on Destiny Islands. She took one look at the goof and decided that she wanted him, for a friend or for more, Tidus wasn't sure exactly. And, even though Riku was still around back then, she managed to claim a piece of Sora.

Heaving an emotion-filled sigh, Tidus hung his head and lamented for a moment. Sora was beautiful, the most beautiful boy Tidus had ever seen. He has gorgeous chocolate brown hair, endless cerulean eyes, soft pouty lips, and a delicious body that could make any gay boy swoon. Sora was a walking wet dream, and he didn't even know it. Tidus thought that was probably part of the brunette's charm. He was so hung up on stupid Riku that he didn't realize that he had his own appeal, his own admirers. Tidus was growing more upset the longer he thought about Sora, because inevitably, his thoughts would always circle back around to the silvery-haired boy that was supposed to be gone.

Honestly, Tidus assumed that once Riku had left, leaving Sora heartbroken, that he would finally have a chance to be close to the brunette. But, even though Riku was off on some big, romantic adventure, his presence still lingered over Destiny Islands, reminding everyone that he had left a piece of himself behind. Sora.

Heaving another emotional sigh, Tidus jumped down from the paopu tree. There was nothing for it. It was an utterly hopeless situation. Tidus had it bad for Sora, Sora had it bad for Riku, and Riku was conveniently absent. Tidus would just have to try harder to get Sora's attention or give up. And he really didn't want to give up.

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A/N: So, here is the **new** first chapter of Missing Your Presence. I am curious as to what everyone thinks of this. I know that the first chapter is short, but I felt that if I didn't end this here, then it would start to get repetitive, and all of you would start getting bored. I am going to hopefully get out the next chapter soon, and not take a billion years to update like I do with my other stuff. See you on the flip side!


	2. Musings

**Story Title:** Missing Your Presence

**Chapter Title:** Musings

**Author:** Araea Swiftwind

**Parings:** (Past and possibly future) SoRiku; (One-sided) TidusxSora; RikuxCloud

**Warnings:** This story will contain mature content, including sexual activities, foul language, and mature themes not suitable for people under the age of 15 without parental consent.

**Disclaimer:** I make no money from the making of this fanfic. I am only writing this because my hands started typing and this popped out, and I felt it was evil to delete it. I just want to share this tale with others, so in suing me, you are destroying people's happiness, so please don't do that.

**Word Count**: 2911

**A/N:** Read the stuff at the bottom for pertinent information

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_**K**__airi_ and Selphie were sitting at a small café down at the boardwalk talking about Sora and Tidus. They both knew how bad Tidus had it for Sora, and how Sora had no intention of ever being with Tidus because he was so hung up on Riku. It was a shame, really, because both boys were so beautiful. Selphie suggested that the way to get the boys together was to lock them in a room together until they did something. Kairi, ever the patient one, suggested that they merely let nature run its course, and if Tidus and Sora were meant to be together, then they would get together. She knew that the boys wouldn't appreciate the girls meddling in their love life.

As the girls were talking, both Sora and Tidus were walking towards them, each from a different direction. Neither boy saw the other until they met at Kairi and Selphie's table. When their blue eyes met, both felt something completely different. Tidus felt a jolt of electricity that went straight to his groin. Sora felt prickles all over his face, the affect of the intense rage he still felt for his blonde "friend."

"Hi Kairi, Selphie. How are ya?" Sora asked softly, pointedly ignoring Tidus.

Kairi smiled brilliantly and replied, "Oh, I'm fine. Selphie and I were just having some girl time to chat. Wakka just left for blitz ball practice a little while ago, so we thought that it would be the perfect time for us to have some peace and quiet."

"Yeah!" Selphie added. "Having boys around makes it so much harder to talk about them." Kairi stepped on her friend's foot to get her to stop talking. It took several tries to get the hyperactive girl to catch her drift.

Sora smiled at her, and patted her on the top of her head. That made her really happy. Selphie had always like Sora like a big brother, and when he did stuff like that, it made her feel like he felt the same way.

So far, Tidus hadn't said anything. He was still looking at the ground, scuffing his shoes in nervousness. Since the day before, he was feeling a little self-conscious. He knew that he was going to have to work hard if he wanted Sora to like him, but he had no idea how to go about it. He had a feeling that if he opened his mouth, he'd say something to make Sora hate him even more.

Luckily for Tidus, he didn't have to come up with anything. Kairi could see how much Tidus wanted Sora to pay attention to him, and how much Sora really didn't want to. Realizing that staying out of it really wasn't an option if she wanted both boys to be happy, she stepped in.

"So, Sora, what did you wind up doing yesterday? I know that Tidus, Wakka and Selphie were play-fighting, but I didn't see you there with them."

Sora turned to regard Kairi, a slight glare on his face. The reminder of his hours of searching for an ugly ring brought all of the anger back up to the surface. He _hated_ Tidus for making him battle and octopus to find that stupid piece of ugly jewelry.

Clearing his throat to get rid of some of the emotion, Sora answered, "I was…hunting."

Kairi had a puzzled look on her face. "_Hunting?_ Where would you be hunting, and for what reason?"

Sora ground his teeth a little, trying to hold back his fury. He wasn't sure if he managed to hide it from Selphie and Kairi, but he responded all the same. "I was hunting in the ocean, for something that was lost there."

"Sora, why are you being so cryptic? Why can't you just tell me what you were looking for?"

The brunette let his glare intensify, sure that his friends would now be able to see how mad he was. "Because, _Kairi_, it's none of your business."

Tidus' eyes widened in shock, as did Kairi's and Selphie's. None of them had ever heard Sora talk to anyone like that, not even some of the bullies from school. Tidus knew that Sora's outburst was his fault, so he finally got up enough courage to say something.

"Sora, don't take your anger out on them, please? I know you're mad at me…so yell at me if you need to. Kairi just was being friendly."

Tidus' interference was too much for Sora to handle calmly. He turned so that he was fully facing Tidus and punched the blonde in the face. "I'm so tired of you, Tidus. You're pissing me off, thinking you can boss me around. Well, you can't. You're not Riku, so stop acting like you are!"

Sora clapped his hand over his mouth, realizing what he sad. His eyes widened in horror, and he turned and ran away from his friends, off towards the pier. The brown haired boy ran as quickly as he could, one hand still over his mouth, the other pumping furiously at his side, trying to bring him more speed.

Once at the pier, Sora stopped and bent over, his breath coming out in harsh bursts. He couldn't believe that he said that to Tidus. He didn't even know he felt that way. It had been several months since Riku left, and it seemed to Sora that ever since then, Tidus had been trying to fill the silver-haired boy's place. Sora had been trying really hard to ignore that fact, but now that he was thinking about it, it was something that had been there all along. In fact, it was probably the reason that he had gotten so mad at the boy over the ring incident.

Sora had been trying to hard to forget about Riku, repress him until he wasn't even a memory, but there was just too much tied up into the boy. He couldn't just put him away at the back of his closet like a too small hoodie. Riku had been a part of Sora's life for the last 16 years, and for at least 14 of those years, Sora had been in love with his silver-haired friend. They had shared so much.

It was painful for Sora to remember. But with his chest still heaving from his run to the pier, and his head still reeling over what he yelled at Tidus, he couldn't do anything else. He _had_ to remember Riku's strong arms holding him. He _had_ to remember the first time Riku pinned him to the paopu tree and kissed him. He _had_ to remember the first time Riku took him up to the fort and gave him a blowjob.

A broken sob escaped from Sora's lips and he fell to his knees on the wood of the pier, his arms wrapped around his stomach to keep the pain in. He didn't want to let it go. He didn't want to give away this last piece he had of Riku.

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_**T**__idus_ was still standing next to the table that Kairi and Selphie were sitting at. He felt as though he had been slapped across the face, and he was sure that his face betrayed that feeling, if the looks he was receiving from Kairi and Selphie were any indication. He had no idea where the comment came from, but he did know deep down that it was probably pretty accurate.

Ever since Riku had left, Tidus _had_ been trying to get closer to Sora. The blonde just hadn't realized that he wasn't just trying to be friends with Sora _like_ Riku, but _instead of_ Riku. Tidus hadn't realized that he wasn't trying to be in the same league as Riku, but that he was trying to kick Riku out of the league altogether. It was really no wonder that Sora hated him. Realizing all of this, Tidus hated himself.

Kairi put her hand on Tidus' arm and gave it a friendly squeeze. "It'll be okay, Tidus. I don't know if you noticed, but Sora was shocked at what he said. He didn't mean to yell that at you. I'm sure he didn't mean it at all. He does like you; he's just still hurting over Riku's leaving. Give him some time, and I'm sure he'll come and apologize."

Even though Kairi sounded so certain of herself and Sora, Tidus just couldn't believe her. He felt like the biggest ass, the biggest loser ever. His heart was breaking into a million pieces, and he didn't know what to do. As the tears started to fall, he felt two little arms wrap around his waist from behind. Selphie had gotten up from the table and hugged her friend. She hated to see people sad, especially the usually confident Tidus.

The two girls spent the next several hours comforting their blonde haired friend. They took him out to eat, and to get some sea salt ice cream. And by the end of the afternoon, Tidus felt moderately better. He knew that Sora still hated him, but with his friends at his side, he felt like he could whether that.

_**S**__ora_ was walking along the beach, vaguely watching the sunset. He didn't know why he was being so mean to Tidus. Yeah, he was still a bit upset at being made to go fish for the ring in the ocean, but in light of everything else he was feeling, it shouldn't be enough to make him such a jackass. But maybe that was it. The fact that he was feeling so many other emotions, things he couldn't do anything about. Maybe it was the fact that Tidus was a prime target that made him be so mean. It wasn't exactly like he could just walk up to Riku and yell at him.

But should he go and talk to Tidus, apologize for being such an ass? Or, should he think about going to look for Riku, confronting him with his feelings? There were pros and cons to each option. If he went to talk to Tidus, he could wind up being meaner than before, and ruining everything. But if he didn't go talk to Tidus, the boy would think he hated him forever. Sora didn't want that, seeing as he didn't _actually_ hate Tidus. And if he went to find Riku, he might not like what he found…or even get the chance to talk to the silver-haired beauty. However, if he did get the chance to talk to Riku, and Riku was receptive…he might get his boyfriend back.

Sora continued to walk along the shoreline, now actually paying attention to the fading light of the sun. It really was beautiful, seeing the fleeting orange and yellow and pink light of the dying sun. As the last vestiges of sunlight left the sky, Sora made up his mind. He would go and talk to Tidus in the morning, and then…then he'd make plans to fly to Radiant Garden and find Riku.

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_**T**__idus_ was up in his room, looking through the newest blitzing magazine. He was still hung up on his confrontation with Sora. He thought for sure that Sora would come over to yell at him some more or something, but he hadn't heard anything from his brunette friend. Why did Sora flip out like that? Did he really hate him that much?

The phone rang, startling Tidus from his musings. It was Kairi. She had called to see if he wanted to go to the movies with her and Selphie. As much as it sounded like fun to him, he just didn't feel up to spending two hours alone with the meddling girls. They would probably get him to talk about what happened with Sora, which would lead them to believe that they could help, and that would lead to a big mess. No. It was better to stay home and just read his magazine. He thanked Kairi for her offer, and told her that maybe he would take her up on it another time. She said goodbye, and he hung up.

Kairi. She meant well, but she always seemed to over do it. Except when she got Riku and Sora together. They were happy for so long after she got Riku to see how much Sora loved him. They even managed to do the impossible: stay in love during a war. A war in which they both took sides, and not even the same side. Riku was fighting for the dark, and Sora for the light. But still, they were in love. They saved Kairi, they saved the worlds, and they came home for good. Or so everyone thought.

But then, only months after coming home, Riku left again. This time without Sora. Kairi was yelling for him to come back, to keep Sora happy, but he didn't listen. Sora heard, though, and he got angry with Kairi for making him seem so weak. They were on the outs for a while after that. But Kairi, loveable Kairi… She managed to get Sora to see it her way. She was like that.

And Selphie. Selphie was the cutest and sweetest girl anyone ever knew. She was a romantic at heart, and always wanted people to be happy, and to have that "ever after" to rival Snow White's. (Well, Snow White's wasn't so happy after the war, but before the heartless took over it was.) She had made sure that Riku and Sora weren't disturbed when they needed some alone time, even if they didn't realize it themselves.

Tidus remembered one time when Sora and he had been talking about something in their classroom, and Selphie had barged in and grabbed Sora. He had been shocked, and a little worried. For twenty minutes after, Tidus had been looking for Sora and begging Selphie to tell him where she had stashed the boy. But she wouldn't let out a peep about it. Then, Sora and Riku came out of the broom closet a few feet away, and Tidus' face flamed red, knowing exactly what they had been doing. Yeah, Selphie was good. And she loved to meddle.

Tidus let out a rather large yawn and stretched his arms out over his head. He was getting tired, and all this thinking and remembering was starting to make his head hurt. He got off of his bed and put the forgotten magazine on his desk. Making sure that the floor of his room was clear enough that he could walk without his lights on; he flicked off the lamp on his nightstand. The darkness no longer scared him. Not after Sora defeated it.

Tidus pulled off his shirt and pants and stood in front of his bed clad only in his blitz ball boxers. From his vantage point, he could see out his window and all the way to the shoreline. The moon had risen already, and it sparkled off of the Caribbean blue water. Tidus loved the water. It reminded him of Sora's eyes. Sora, the one who finally managed to mend his broken heart.

Tidus shook his head to get away from such deep thoughts and closed his curtains. He wanted to sleep tonight, and if the curtains remained opened, he would be thinking about Sora until the morning came. Better then to shut out temptation and get a good nights rest.

Climbing into bed, Tidus rolled onto his side, looking away from the troublesome window, and pulled the blankets in tight around himself. He clenched his eyes shut and counted down from one hundred slowly in his head. That always worked to calm him down. In no time, Tidus was wafting away to the land of dreams, where Sora and he were happy, and Riku had never loved Sora in the first place.

:^_^:^_^:^_^:^_^:^_^:^_^:^_^:^_^:^_^:^_^:^_^:^_^:^_^:^_^:^_^:^_^:^_^:^_^:^_^:

A/N: And that's it, folks. The end of chapter two. I know it was a ton angsty, but hopefully not so much that it made y'all choke. I should be working on chapter three here shortly, and hopefully it gets done today. My plan is to finish this story, or at least a good portion of it, before Christmas. The chapters probably aren't going to be terribly long, as I usually stop them where the story tells me to, but it should hold enough information to keep y'all interested.

In other news, some of you might have noticed that I took the pairing LeonxSephiroth out. You shall notice in the notes at the beginning of the next chapter that I've added in a new pairing. Since the pairing won't really begin until sometime in the next chapter or two, I figured it wasn't necessary to put it in right here.


	3. Recompense

**Story Title:** Missing Your Presence

**Chapter Title:** Recompense

**Author:** Araea Swiftwind

**Parings:** (Past) SoRiku; (One-sided) TidusxSora; RikuxCloud

**Warnings:** This story will contain mature content, including sexual activities, foul language, and mature themes not suitable for people under the age of 15 without parental consent.

**Disclaimer:** I make no money from the making of this fanfic. I am only writing this because my hands started typing and this popped out, and I felt it was evil to delete it. I just want to share this tale with others, so in suing me, you are destroying people's happiness, so please don't do that.

**Word Count**: 2723

**A/N:** Read the stuff at the bottom for pertinent information

* * *

_**T**__he_ early morning rays of sun splashed across Tidus' bright blue pillow, invading his sleep-fogged mind. He moaned and rolled over, effectively shutting out the light. A soft chuckle above him brought him out of his fog.

"Hmmmn?" He moaned in confusion. The soft voice chuckled again, causing Tidus to have the overwhelming urge to turn over and see whom it was. After the owner of the voice cleared his throat, he did just that. Tidus mustered up the energy and turned his sluggish body over, though his eyes were still closed. The light pierced through his eyelids and he began to seriously rethink the idea of seeing who was laughing at him. However, when the owner of the voice decided to speak to him, the decision was really made for him.

"So, _Tidus_...are ya gonna get up, lazy butt?" The voice said playfully. Tidus cracked one eye open, cringed, then looked around to find out who was speaking. His brilliant blue eyes finally settled on the intruder, though it took his brain several more seconds to realize who was actually there in his room. Once he got it, however, he sat bolt upright, his sheets pooling at his waist, showing his bare chest.

"What the…when…huh?" Tidus managed to get out, mostly incoherently. "Sora, what the heck are you doing here, in my room, while I'm sleeping?" A faint blush dusted Sora's cheeks at Tidus' state of undress, and he turned his head away quickly.

"Well?" Tidus asked again, completely oblivious to his lack of shirt. Sora didn't respond right away. He was having trouble keeping the bright blush off of his face. He really don't know why seeing Tidus without his shirt on would make him blush so bad, but he figured it probably had something to do with the tent in the sheets that accompanied the lack of shirt.

Once Sora felt as though he had himself under control, he turned back around. His eyes only briefly flicked down to take in the sight of Tidus' erection before panning back up the blonde's body to rest on his pretty blue eyes. Eyes that happened to be the same shade of blue as his own. Sora cleared his throat and began to explain his presence in Tidus' room.

"Well… You see… Um… Okay, so I was walking along the beach yesterday after freaking out about what I said and I did a lot of thinking. I don't know why exactly I took my feelings out on you and Kairi and Selphie the way I did…especially you. But I'm sorry, about yelling…and stuff. I kinda think it has something to do with how upset I still am about Riku's leaving me like he did.

"You see…I love Riku more than anything…and I had thought we were so happy together. But…I guess I was really wrong about that. He…he told me that he was leaving to find his true love…that one person that would complete him. Until he told me that, I had thought that I was that person. And…well, now he's gone. I can't yell at him for breaking my heart, I can't plead with him to reconsider… But I could yell at you…

"And so, I think that's what it was. Subconsciously, I knew I couldn't yell at the one I was really mad at, so I had to do the next best thing…which unfortunately meant that I had to take the minor irritation I had with you and blow it up into serious rage…and then heap it on you. Sorry…"

Tidus had been sitting silently through Sora's explanation, but once he realized that the boy was finished, he responded. "So…this was all about _Riku_? You yelling at me, and Kairi, and Selphie…that was all because of _him_?"

Sora had the decency to look down at his feet and seem abashed. "Yeah…"

The blonde's face slipped into a glare, and he hunched forward a bit with his arms crossed in front of himself. He was processing exactly how he felt about the situation. Sora wasn't really mad at him. Tidus might still have a chance at earning the brunette's friendship, and perhaps even love. Sora's anger was all Riku's fault.

"So…" the blitzer began, "what are you going to do, now that you know why you're so angry?"

Sora heaved a small sigh and looked up from his shoes. "Well…I've decided that I'm going to go vent."

"Go…vent?"

"Yeah. I'm going to go to Radiant Garden, find Riku, and vent all of my frustration, hurt, anger and love on him. And, well, if all goes according to plan…I'll get him back."

"Oh…" Tidus' face fell. He wasn't expecting Sora to take his revelation as a sign that he should try to get Riku back. Riku had been gone for seven months. He'd probably found who/what he was looking for already. Sora was probably just going to get hurt by looking for the platinum haired boy. "Are you sure…it's smart to go looking for him?"

"What do you mean?" Sora had an open, trusting look on his face. He couldn't understand why it wouldn't be a good idea for him to go, and he was expecting Tidus to reveal something special with his explanation.

Tidus sighed and placed one hand on his face, slightly shaking it back and forth, not really understanding how Sora couldn't see what was so obvious. After a few moments, Tidus straightened up and looked Sora in the eye.

"I don't think it'd be smart to go right now because…because…well… Riku probably already found whoever he was looking for. You…you could be walking into a situation that's going to hurt you. And even if it doesn't hurt you…it could hurt someone else. I just…want you to think about that before you decide to go and yell at Riku and possibly ruin someone's life."

Impossibly blue eyes widened in shock, their owner never once thinking about the person Riku might have found. He had never once thought that his going could hurt anyone beside himself, and even that last thought was mostly buried and ignored. Sora hated hurting people, and the thought that he could hurt Riku, or someone that Riku loved…it was too much. Fat, wet tears began to roll down Sora's face and soft sobs escaped through his barely parted lips.

Tidus, not having meant to hurt his friend with his warning, slipped out of bed quickly and went to the brunette, wrapping his strong arms around the boy. He didn't spare any thought to the fact that he was only in his boxers. All that filled his mind was wiping the sad, hurt look off of Sora's face. It was his opinion that there was something seriously wrong with a world that had a sad Sora.

The spikey haired brunette wrapped his arms tightly around Tidus in return and let his tears flow. He just couldn't hurt Riku, or Riku's new lover, like that. But on the other hand, he needed the closure that speaking to Riku would bring him. He was really torn, and he had no idea which course of action he should take.

"Tidus…what should I do…? I just…I just don't know anymore. I… I want closure. I _need_ to talk to Riku. I _need_ to find out why I wasn't enough for him… But… I just… I… can't hurt him. I can't just…rush in, guns blazing… But if I don't…if I…just stay here… God, Ti… What do I do?"

The spikey haired blonde held his friend closer to his chest and rubbed small circles into his back. He didn't have all of the answers. He wasn't sure what to tell Sora. He felt…so torn. One the one hand, he really wanted Sora to stay close to him, not go find Riku, love _him_ and move on. But, the other hand did make a bit more sense. If Sora stayed, he'd be wondering forever, unable to move on and get over Riku. He should go, talk to the silver haired boy. He should get the closure he needed, even if there was a chance that Tidus could lose him forever.

"Sora…I… I think you should go to Radiant Garden."

"But…what about Riku? What about Riku's lover?" Sora's eyes were huge, blue and teary. He wanted so much to listen to Tidus and leave right away for Radiant Garden…but he was still so afraid of hurting someone.

Tidus took a deep breath and let go of Sora. He took a step back and ran a slightly tanned hand through his blonde hair. It wasn't about him. It wasn't about what he wanted. It wasn't about the pain that Sora's leaving would inflict upon him. It was about Sora. It was about making the brunette smile again.

"If you do it right, talk to him calmly, you won't be hurting anyone," _but me_, Tidus thought to himself. "Riku's a big boy; he can handle you standing up for your feelings. And, if he has a new lover, that guy/girl's probably going to be okay with it too. Just…be true to yourself, and everything will be okay."

"You sure?" Sora asked softly, the question clear in his eyes.

Tidus nodded and gave Sora a pat on the shoulder. "I'm sure. Hey, give me a few minutes to get dressed and stuff, and then we can practice. By the time we're done, you'll know just what to say."

Sora smiled his most dazzling smile and jumped for joy. "Great!" He beamed. "I'll meet ya downstairs."

* * *

_**A**__fter_ several hours of practicing, Sora was sure he knew just what to say to keep anyone from getting hurt. He was going to speak calmly and slowly and simply put his feelings out there for Riku to accept or deny. And if Riku really had found someone by now to fill the void, then that person shouldn't be offended either.

Tidus assured Sora that everything would work out for the best, and with his friend's well-wishes, he made plans to leave Destiny Islands and find the man of his dreams. Riku would be so surprised when Sora showed up, but Sora knew that it would be a good surprise. He was certain his best friend missed him, even if he hadn't come back to visit.

With a quick call to Donald and Goofy, Sora secured transport to Radiant Garden. He was looking forward to not only seeing Riku, but also to seeing the rest of his friends. It had been far too long since he had seen Leon, Yuffie and Aerith. He was sure they probably missed him too.

It was the waiting that was the hardest. It would take some time for the gummy ship to arrive to take him to Radiant Garden, and Sora didn't know what to do with himself in the mean time. He thought about hanging out with Wakka or the girls, but he didn't want to miss the ship when it landed, so he figured staying on the play island was a better choice. But it was just Tidus and him on the island, and even though they somewhat patched things up, it was still awkward between them. Sora could just tell that something was bother his blonde friend.

"Tidus, is something bothering you? You've been despondent for a while now."

The blonde smiled at Sora and sadly shook his head. "Nah, nothing's bothering me."

Sora laughed and moved closer. "Aw, Ti, you can't fool me. I know when something's up. Tell me about it."

Tidus just sighed and walked a few paces away from Sora. Why couldn't the other boy understand that there were just some things he couldn't share. Some things were just private.

"Is it about a girl?" Sora asked, genuinely curious.

Tidus laughed himself this time, and turned to look at Sora over his shoulder. "You could say that," he replied cryptically.

The brunette moved closer once again and elbowed Tidus in the ribs. "Come on, tell me about her. What's she like?"

It was torture. Tidus thought that there was nothing worse in the world than having your crush ask you about who you liked. What did you say?

"Aw, Ti, are you shy all of a sudden? Come _on_, tell me about her. What's she look like?"

Tidus gave a great heaving sigh and decided to go with it. What harm could it do to give out a few inconsequential details? "Okay, well...she's got these gorgeous blue eyes that remind you of the sea at summertime. And she's got the greatest laugh, the kind that makes everyone want to laugh along." _There_, he thought,_ that should be vague enough._

Sora's face lit up like Christmas. "Have you asked her out yet?"

The blonde's face fell a little and he looked away again. "No...she's kind of in love with someone else."

"Oh...I'm sorry, Ti. No wonder you look so down."

He tried to smile, but it turned into more of a grimace. "It's okay, Sora. I'm starting to learn to live with it. It's not the end of the world or anything."

Sora gave his friend a sad smile, "No, it most certainly isn't. You and me, we're like the same. Both in love with people who are in love with someone else. But it'll be okay. Somehow, it'll be okay."

Tidus turned all the way around and looked out over the water. In the distance, he saw a black shape growing larger as it came toward the island.

"Think your ride's here, Sora."

Sora followed his friend's gaze and saw the gummy ship rapidly approaching. He let happiness blossom within him for a moment, glad that he would finally get to see Riku again. Then, he looked over at his blonde friend and felt the sting of sadness once more. He kicked at the sad beneath his feet before going to wrap his arms around Tidus' waist, letting his chin rest on his shoulder.

"I'll be back, Tidus. And when I am, we'll do something together, okay?"

The blonde's heart soared. Sora was going to be with him soon. He ignored the little niggling voice at the back of his head that told him he was making more out of Sora's statement than the brunette meant. It didn't matter what the voice of doubt had to say. He knew what he heard, and what he heard was that Sora was going to give himself to Tidus when he returned. Hope blossomed like a summer rose within Tidus and he felt as though he could really let Sora go to Riku for now. The other boy would be back, and they'd be together, and all would be right with the world.

"Bye, Sora," he whispered. "Come back soon."

* * *

**A/N:** So, here is the looooooong awaited Chapter 3. I am so sorry that it's taken me so long to update this chapter, especially since most of it has been written for a long time. I just haven't been in the mood to update most of my non-Harry Potter stories lately. But I am writing now, and I do so hope that I can keep up with updating. Please, let me know what you think of this chapter, and who you might want to see Sora get with by the end. (Because it's just not fair for the boy to be alone.)


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